Roller-skate



(No Model.)

W. H. ELLIOT. ROLLER SKATE.

Patented Aug. 4, 1885.

INVENTOR u. PETERS Photo Luhographm. Washington. 0. c

jects.

PATENT @rrrcE.

ILL-TAM H. ELLIOT, OF ILION, NEW YORK.

ROLLER- SKATE.

SPECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.323A-05, dated August 4,1885.

(No model.)

To (Z5 whom it nmy concern:

Be it known that I, \VM. H. ELLIOT, of Ilion, county of Herkimer, andState of New York, have invented a new and Improved Roller-Skate, ofwhich the followingis aspecification.

The object and nature of my invention may be described as follows:

The object of my invention is to provide roller-skates that shall forcethe wearer to assume natural positions and to make natural movementswhile skating, thereby avoiding the injury to young persons arising fromthe use of skates that confine them to unnatural positions, andconsequently to unnatural and ungraceful movements; and it also aims toprovide a skate which shall be CllEZLPGI' SlIH- pier, and morepracticable than any ow in use; and the nature of my invention consistsin the novel assemblage of certain co-operative devices which shallaccomplish the above ob- I attain these objects by the mechanismillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is aplan ofthe skate, showing the heelclamps. Fig. 2 is a plan of the skate,showing the sole-clamps. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the clamping-lever.Fig. 4 is an elevation of my improved skate-roller. Fig. 5 is a sectionof the same. Fig. 6 represents a vertical longitudinal section of thetread of the skate with the hangers attached thereto and the small partsin elevation. Fig. 7 is two views of a device for holding the rollers onthe axle. Fig. 8 is an elevation of a swiveled rollerirame. Fig. 9 is asection of a roller and a portion of a roller-frame. Fig. 10 is a planof the springs for controlling the rollerframes. Fig. 11 is asection ofthe roller-frame at open lines :0, Fig. 9.

My invention refers particularly to skates having four rollers eachtwofront and two rear rollersthough it may be applied practically to skateshaving any other number of rollers.

In the use of roller-skates as they are now universally manufactured,there is great danger, particularly in case of Very young persons, thatthey will become permanently knock-kneed orin-kneed; and this is broughtabout by the necessity they are under of bending their knees to throwthe weight of the body forward of the rear rollers, while at the sametime they have to throw their heels out until the central or axial lineof the tread of the skate is parallel with theline of travel. This givesall skaters while on the door the appearance of being more or lessin-kneeda deformity easily avoided by the use of properlyconstructedskates.

Byreferenee to Figs. 1 and 2, it may be seen that while the axis of therollers a2 is exactly at right angles to the line of travel as, thecenter line of the tread of the skate .r is inclined, the right oneabout fifteen degrees to the right and the left one about fifteendegrees to thelel't, making a divergence of about thirty degrees fromeach other when running straight forward with all the rollers on thedoor. The

positions of the treads shown in these figures is supposed to be aboutthe natural one. This arrangement of the center line of the tread inrelation to the line of travel and to the axis of the rollers gives theskater a base about four inches wider to stand upon without separatinghis legs, and it brings the right rear roller of the right skatesubstantially upon the path of the left front roller of the same skateand the left rear roller of the left skate upon the path of the rightfront roller of the same skate. The movement of the ankle necessary toroll the tread 011 the diagonal bearings of the roller frame is muchmore safely accomplished, particularly by beginners, with the foot in anatural position than it is with the center line of the two skatesparallel.

Fig. 4 represents my improved skate-roller divided radially into severalsections, as at s, with the grain of the wood arranged radially, asshown at s, the corners of the roller being beveled off, as at s, toprevent chipping. This arrangement brings the inner end of the grain ofthe wood upon the axles and the outer end upon the floor, whichincreases the durability of the roller to a very great degree.

In Fig. 9 the roller a is shown to be provided with metallic plates aton both sides, the outer one covering the center hole to pre vent oilfrom working through the rollers, and

both provided with annular projections or rings 0", which are forcedinto the sides of the roller to fasten the several sections together,and these rings may be used with or without the metallic plates orcement, though it would be safer to use both. The inner plate has atubular projection, 12', which lines the roller and serves as a box orbearing for the axle.

It also has a hub 011 its inner side, provided with the annular grooven. The hub of the roller-frame also has grooves e upon each side ofit,as shown in Fig. 11, which is a section of the same at at, Fig. 9. Thesegrooves e and the'annular groove 91 in the hub of the roller are adaptedto receive the U shaped and forked key w, (shown in Fig. 7,) whichserves the purpose of a linchpin to keep the roller on the axle.

In application the long and narrow fork 10 passes into the groove 0 andthe wider and shorter fork to passes into the annular groove 11 in thehub of the roller, and so fastens the roller to the roller-frame. Thiskey may be fastened in place by narrowing the long fork a little at thepoints, as shown in Fig. 7; or it may be kept in place by any othersuitable fastening which can be readily removed for cleaning.

The tread of the skate is provided with flanges a at the sides to giveit strength. It is also provided with a cup-shaped depression, (1,, onthe top to make room for the head of a large central screw to hold thehanger c in place. The hangers are also provided with small screws toprevent them from rotating on the central screw. The hangers 0 have twodownward-projecting arms, 0, which are provided at their lower end with.eyes for the re ception of the pin 0, upon which the rollerframe swingsor upon which the tread rocks in turning curves.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 2 it may be seen that the holes in the treadfor screws 0 over the forward rollers is elongated to permit a slightrotatory movement of the hanger on a vertical axis, so that each skatemay be adjusted to the peculiarities of the feet of the skater, whilethehanger over the rear rollers may be permanently fixed to the tread.

The necessity for making the forward hanger adjustable arises from thefact that it is very seldom that two persons can be found that tread apair of skates alike, and very often there is a great difference in thetwo feet of the same skater.-

By the adjustment here proposed one or both skates may be made to run inor out, as necessity dictates.

Figs. 6 and 10 represent the roller-frame spring 1' resting at each endon the top of the roller-frame, provided with the bar i across the ends,and the opening 1', through which the long arm of the hanger 0 passes.The spring is supported upon the tread of the skate by the stud r andadjusting thumb-screw o". This screw has a stem, 1, passing through thespring for holding the same in a central position. It is also screwedinto the lower end of the stud, whereby the force of the spring may beincreased or decreased by turningthe screw one way or the other. The armof the hanger holds the two ends of the spring in position.

Figs. 1, 3, and 6 show the fasteninglever 0 attached to the tread by thescrew 0 and nuts 0', which are adjustable in slots tin the usual way.The rear end of the lever has a sharp, projecting, cam-shaped, andspiral edge t. which is shown in Fig. 1 to be cam-shaped and in Figs. 2and 6 to be spiral. It also has on its forward or free end point t,which drops into opening 0 in the tread for holding it in the lockedposition.

In application the free end of the lever is to be brought to theposition indicated at it. Its fulcrum-screw 0 is then moved back untilthe cam-shaped edge ttouches theheel of the boot, and fastened by nuts0". The lever is then brought to the position shown in Fig. 1, and thepoint t dropped into the opening 0, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6, which notonly forces the heel back upon the spurs t", but by its spiral edgeforces the boot-heel down upon the tread.

Figs. 2 and 6 show an improved sole-clamp. '0. It has the usualtransverse slides and adjusting-screw, v, and spur o. It also has anarm, 0), which extends backward from the screw and slides to a pointwhere the spur takes a stronger hold on the sole. These arms are madethin, so as to have a slight elasticity, whereby the sole is held moretenaciously than it would be by more rigid arms.

I have herein shown and described the rollercarrying devicesasconsisting of the hanger c, wheel-frame e, and axle m. The severalfeatures of the invention, however, will apply with equal facility toany other kind of rollercarrying devices.

Having described my invention, what I desire to have secured to me byLetters Patent of the United States is- 1. The combinatiominroller-skates,of tread a, roller 12, and axle or bearing m, withsuitable intermediate roller-carrying devices fixed to said tread, theroller-carrying devices being in such arrangement with said tread thatwhen both skates are on the floor and moving in a right line the medialline of the right tread shall diverge from the line of travel and theplane of the roller to the right, and the medial line of the left treadshall diverge from the line of travel and the plane of the roller to theleft, substantially as specified.

2.' In a roller-skate, the U-shaped doubleforked key w, constructedsubstantially as described, in combination with groove e" in the hub ofthe roller-frame and the annular groove 01 in the hub of the roller, asset forth.

3. In a roller-skate, a hanger, 0, having a slight rotary movement on avertical axis, as upon central screw a, and in combination therewithmeans of rigidly fastening the same to the tread of the skate in anydesired po- 5. In a r0l1er-skate, the combination, with sition, wherebythe skate may be adjusted to the tread thereof, of the sole-clamptgprevided the peculiarities of the skaters feet and sewith the spur o,the screw v, and the rearcurely fastened in said adjustment,substauward'extending arm n, substantially as and 1 5 tially asspecified. for the purpose specified.

4. I n a roller-skate, the double-balanced and adjustable spring 2',having the opening 1" for XVM. H. ELLIOT. the long arm of the hanger,and the bar 1' across the en d, in combination with the roller-Vitnesses: 10 frame e and the adjusting thumb-screw o", D. LEWIS,

substantially as specified. GEO. D. RIcnARDsoN.

